I'm talking at the Apple Store in SoHo today about the best family travel apps. It's a free event and if you are in the area I hope you'll drop in and check it out. I've got a ton of information to share on apps that will help you save money as well as help solve some of the toughest problems of family vacations.

The event is at 11am today, Saturday, July 14th at the SoHo Apple Store (103 Prince Street), which is re-opening for the first time after a huge renovation, so you'll get to be one of the first people to see the new store as well.

Next week I'll be posting a Best Family Travel Apps Series all week long. So check the site for those too.The topics in the series will be on the best apps for saving money on hotel and flight bookings, road trips, finding the best places to eat and things to do, navigating your destination and more.  

A few years ago, we made it to the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival for a hilarious production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), a show that condensed all of the Bard's major plays into a 90-minute farce that even had my six-year-old quoting Shakespeare for a week. In a similar vein, Potted Potter, now playing at the Little Shubert Theatre on 42nd Street, compresses the entire Harry Potter saga into a 70-minute romp that's fun for fans young and old.

Radio City Music Hall is known for hosting huge spectacles on its football-stadium-size stage. And Cirque du Soleil is known for its enchantingly beautiful performances. Put them together and you get Zarkana, a visually stunning extravaganza of epic proportions.

Lately, I've been privileged to forge some amazing partnerships. Last month we helped promote the Partners in Preservation effort that awarded $3 million in grants to local historic landmarks. Apple has asked us to present some of our recommendations for educational apps at the company's Upper West Side store (more info on that to come). And we have another fun event coming up with a large company whose name (sort of) rhymes with doodle. So things are really hoppin' around here!

But today, I want to announce a new partnership I am particularly excited about: the East River Ferry. Last summer, I wrote about my experiences riding on the East River Ferry and all the fun things my family and I did at the different stops. Not only is the East River Ferry a pleasant way to get from one place to another, an all-day pass is an awesome way to explore the different neighborhoods it services (Midtown, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Dumbo and Lower Manhattan). This year, the folks at the East River Ferry and I teamed up to expand on the idea of my original post by creating a free pamphlet with 101 things to do along the East River Ferry route.

Announcing the Sizzling Summer Camp Sale! Last year we hosted a big camp sale on our Poppins Perks site and it was so popular, many people asked us if we were going to do it again. Not only did we help hundreds of families save big on summer camps, we also raised enough money to help send five underprivileged teenagers to a week of sleepaway camp in the Catskills with Manhattan Youth.

This year's camp sale is just as great. We've got 15 summer camp programs offering deals of up to 66% off. We have lots of options, whether you're looking for a half-day preschool program, a week of full-day camp or several weeks of full-day day camp. There are even programs for those tricky weeks after school ends in June and those last few weeks of August before school starts again.

There's nothing as priceless as family photographs that capture your beautiful children before they grow up. It's one thing that can't be put off until later; you've got to grab those cherubic faces before they change. Professional family portraits are a wonderfully special gift for family members. With Mother's Day and Father's Day right around the corner, we asked some of NYC's top professional photographers who specialize in family portraits to offer deals just for our readers.

Spring Break is gone and it's time to be dreaming about summer vacation plans and long Spring weekends. Perhaps a special Mother's Day trip, hint, hint? This week's round up of family travel deals features some big dream vacations to places like Thailand, China, Mexico and a sweet road trip package to the Southwest US. Because some of these deals are so good, these vacations might become more than just a dream.

Last week I posted a bunch of last minute spring break deals, but I think this week's crop of travel deals is even better. Whether your'e looking for a last minute getaway this week, or a Spring weekend getaway or a summer vacation deal, I found big discounts on trips to Montreal and Myrtle Beach, Philadelphia and South Beach and, of course, DisneyWorld, plus a bunch of hot destinations for this summer. These deals are so good, I'm tempted to go on these vacations myself. If you see I suddenly stop posting next week, you'll know why!